We took delivery on 20 Sept. of a Limited V6 AWD, sterling grey metallic. A brief time behind the wheel shows a few big plus items compared to our 2007 V6 Limited. Better safety-- stability control with roll over mitigation and side air bags. These items are the main reason we traded.A lot smoother ride and the interior is much quieter than the 2007.More upscale interior.The engine definitely has more power.Six speed automatic.I like the easy fuel fill system so far. No gas cap

However, like any vehicle there are some minus points compared to our 07.Instruments are a lot harder to read in certain lighting conditions, 07 had black on white.Auto gear shift quadrant does not show on the dash as in the 07Six speed auto only has D and L. Why no 2nd or 3rd gear pick up?Minor point. Glove box has no lock.

bdyment, sounds like you have a wealth of information from behind the wheel. Glad to hear the pluses, considering i have not seen an 09 nor have i even driven an escape before. This is the first purchase of a new vehicle which i have not driven before hand. The not having a 2 or 3 gear so far does not bother me...not yet. i have been driving manuals for so long now it will be interesting to drive an automatic. How does that over drive off switch work to get some of that down hill engine braking working. I am really interested in that, with so many hills and mountains over here i am hoping to relieve the brakes some. Just looked on Autozone.com they already are listing a K&N air filter and i think a cabin air filter for the 09. I wonder if this is correct!

I have never owned a Ford, heck never owned an american car (Honda/Bmw/Toyota/Lexus) but have driven several as I get a new company car every two years. I just ordered and received the 2009 Ford Escape XLT 4WD with V6 and 6 speed trans. It is charcoal gray (They call it black pearl) and has the dark charcoal interior. A co-worker has a 2006 and it was loud, bouncy and gutless. Even witht he V6. This new one is MUCH BETTER. Much more impressive. It has nice shifting, smooth power and the suspension seems much improved. I expect it will soften and get crappy as I rack up the miles, but for now, it's nice. I would never own a Ford or Chevy mainly because of the resale value and maintenance costs, compared to imports is sooooo bad, but if you like these, for now it seems a good choice, bad investment. MSRP 28950??? No way. My company paid $19850 delivered. We ordered it direct from Ford in June and it arrived 9/12. They closed the plant for 3 weeks from the 4th of July holiday. I have 1020 miles on it in 9 days of driving.

I was just delivered an 09 with the I4. This is my 3rd Escape (03, 06 and now 09). My company has its fleet agreement with Ford and I was given the choice of a fairly loaded out V6 or a completely loaded out (except nav or sunroof) I4 with leather and Sync. I chose the 4. Compared to the 06 model, this is now a car I would now consider for my family. It is so much nicer than the 06. The interior is totally different and doesn't just scream cheap. The leather seats are comfy and Sync system is incredible. The I4 sounds like any other four banger accelerating but is perfectly fine when cruising and the 6speed seems to work really well and I have yet to detect any gear hunting. The ride is quiet (compared to the 06) and controlled. The steering is heavily boosted at low speed and you can literally spin the wheel in your hands to turn and maneuver. The boost fades as the speed increases (as it should).

Overall, this is a totally different vehicle than previous generations and I could easily recommend it to someone. I was/am thoroughly impressed and will enjoy putting a few thousand miles on this one.

It's finally arrived! Man this thing looks nice. :shades: I am loving the interior much better than what i was expecting. The seats are comfortable an the 6 speed is the smoothest i have ever driven. SYNC is initially is a little confusing but read the manual and in no time you are up and running. Power is always on point ready for passing and plenty of torque to get up those hills while the cruise is on. We had no problems driving it on these German autobahns! There seems to be an over abundance of them here now. But, being a Limited it does stand out a bit. To date the best SUV i have driven.

Question:Is anyone out there is thinking of getting the DVD rear headrest players from Ford? If so please let me know any details. This will be our first upgrade to ours here in the near future. i am just wondering on how they are powered? Is it through the power seat or what. Just as long as there are not any cords laying around i am good.

Usually OD lockout just locks out the highest gear and changes the shift points. I have not checked yet on level ground. Maybe this weekend. I have a question to all 09 Sync guys. Has anyone figured out or know how to change the default Sync voice volume. Maybe if i had all the windows down and was on the interstate it would be fine but i seems no matter the speed or not moving at all you have to be quick on the volume dial or you are going to blasted. i looked in the sync manual and currently have not found where it states changing it. Maybe i missed it.

So I thought I should tell you about the 2009 Escape LTD V6 4WD we picked up 10-3-08. We drove it up to Mt. Palomar Observatory on 10-5-08. The first thing I noticed was the DELICIOUS sound it made when you got into the throttle. On the twisty roads up to the top of the mountain, it handled like a sports car; stable and composed. My wife and I were yelling and screaming at the NAV system because it is so complicated to figure out. I am confident after a short 9 to 10 months we will have it figured out.... or there will be a big hole in the touch screen!

Nonetheless, it is beautiful and powerful and got 24 mpg on it's first tank calculated with a pen and pencil so we know it was accurate. It is brilliant silver on the ext and black int.

I think it does. I was parked in a dirt/gravel parking. When I left I floored the throttle and could not sense any wheel spin, just acceleration. There is also an intersection where I have to turn right. There is always water flowing down the curb. My Focus always slips and loses traction. Not so with our 09 AWD LTD Escape.

I think what you are describing is your AWD system kicking in, sort of used as tracion control. Escapes do not have traction control per se, but they have RSC (Roll Stability Control) which acts sort of like a TCS (Traction Control System) in which it uses gyroscopic sensors to sense roll over or swerving motion, thus applying brake force or engine throttle to control the vehicle. True traction control is done with the AdvanceTrac system (AWD). 2WD models do not have either systems.

When I have my sunroof open in my 2009 Escape the air pressure builds up much the only way to relieve it is to crack open another window. Is anyone else experiencing this problem? Is there another answer to solving this problem.

I haven't noticed this with my 2009 and I use the sunroof whenever permissable, but I suppose it would depend on how you determine that a buildup of air pressure is occuring. One solution would be to buy the deflector for the front of the sunroof opening. Having said that, if there is additional air coming into the vehicle via the open sunroof, then that additional air has to have some place to go. Opening a window a bit would seem to make sense.

I was somewhat concerned when Ford went to rear drum brakes on the 2008 Escapes. I had four wheel disc brakes on our 07, however after test driving the 2009 V6 with rear drums we purchased the vehicle. The brakes are very good--smooth, nice pedal pressure and the stopping distances seem every bit as good as our 07, if not better.

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bdyment: thanks for your comments. You meant Ford had disc brakes in 07 and then went back to drums in 08 and 09. I was concerned about the braking distance compared to its competitors like RV4, CRV or Rogue. I had a 1999 4Runner before and found the brakes are not as good as German autos. I know it's not a fair comparison. I'm thinking to get the Escape as my next car.

the distances you see are not all under the same conditions and are extreme tests.our 04 escape has rear drums and the only problem we have had is getting hit from behind(twice). we also have an 09 which has rear drums and it stops just fine.rear drum brakes are known to last a long time.80% of braking is done by the front brakes.

Probably looking at a new car purchase in about 6 weeks. My last new car is my wifes, a 2004 Toyota Sienna. I am giving my 2000 Nissan pathfinder to my son. I love the Pathfinder-Bose, leather, heated seats, sunroof. I would love a new 4Runner, but I want leather, sunroof, upgraded sound system again and don't want to pay over 28K before TTL. I am thinking of a Honda CRV EX-L, a Toyota Rav4, or an Escape/Mariner/Tribute. The last new Ford I had was a '93 Aerostar, back when "quality was job 1" and the water pump failed at about 37K, a thousand out of waranty, followed quickly by the a/c condenser or compressor at around 38K. The dealer did make good on the a/c repair and I paid only a small deductble.

Anyway, I was wondering if any other buyers here looked at the Rav4 or CRV and how they thought all these SUVs stacked up in terms of comfort and reliability.